We all get a little sad sometimes...

Jason Robert Brown's blog post last week has received quite a bit of attention, causing him to shut off any further comments, though the debate continues on in other forums. It's an interesting topic, to be sure, and it highlights problems that transcend even the theatre industry, bringing about questions of where technology is going and how to hold future generations responsible for things they do in this virtual world (as well as the need to readjust antiquated, tangible analogies for the information that is passed along these channels).

Another blog post I read recently that brings up an interesting perspective from a writer's point of view comes from B.T. Ryback's guest blog at Ryan Scott Oliver's Crazytown Blog. In response to a prior blog made by Julia Meinwald about the idea of the "autobiographical song," Ryback offers his own criticism of the expectations for contemporary writers to draw directly from their personal experience. And while some of his argument is surely a bit incendiary (he makes the bold statement that "While at times this exercise in autobiography can be poignant and interesting, it isn’t really theatre"), he does touch on some really interesting points about the trend of musical theatre writers/composers moving more towards a cabaret set up for their work. I think one thing he does neglect to discuss is that there is a demand for this type of cabaret style -- it's not just the writers creating the work, but there are people across the country who are eager to perform these intimate, insular tunes (which is evident in the countless youtube videos of people making entire nights out of self-contained songs or licensing song cycles that are examples of "The Twenty-Somethings-Living-in-New-York-and-Creating-Art Dilemma" he mentions). However, I do think Ryback poses a meaningful and important challenge to writers: to not rest on the laurels of writing what you know. While it provides personal fulfillment and creative inspiration to draw from real life, the only way to continually expand one's craft is to create -- to reach outside of yourself and make something that didn't exist before.

Also, I just wanted to close out this blog with some videos which are now up of Joe Iconis' show at the Duplex. I think this batch of new tunes is quite affecting. While about disparate subjects -- Norman Bates, a werewolf, and an introspective human male -- a sadness, deeply felt and seemingly personal, lurks just below the surface. Enjoy, and happy 4th!

I don't know where I'd be if you weren't here with me...

When I look back at the time that has passed since my first Joe Iconis experience, The Blacksuits at SPF in '08, I'm embarrassed by how closely I've followed his career, how much money I've spent on his shows, and how much I adore just about every song that has worked its way into my brain. But I am not afraid to say that I am a huge fan of Joe's music and that I have never been so convinced that someone is destined for greatness. From his outlook on the business and his determination to keep his friends close, to the sheer talent of his music and the wit of his lyrics, if he creates something, I want to see it.

Needless to say, I have been highly anticipating Joe's latest show, a full length music done as a part of his residency at Ars Nova. Fully titled Bloodsong of Love: The Rock 'n' Roll Spaghetti Western, this show does not disappoint in bringing a distinctly Joe Iconis voice and presence to the stage in a hilarious, irreverent parody and send-up of the Spaghetti Western. For one thing, the usual suspects are all here, shining in their multiple roles. Eric William Morse gets his cowboy on, MK Lawson plays the camp out of her heroine role, and Jason "Sweet Tooth" Williams lends sweet vocals with some winking narration. Lance Rubin steals the show in countless areas as sidekick "Banana," and Jeremy Morse delights in creepiness and ruthlessness as the shows villain, while Katrina Rose Dideriksen brought the house down with a few choice notes and played a string of bizarre characters, including a footless prostitute.

The music, as always, was flawless. Not a weak song in the bunch with a lot of solid motifs that help carry the story through. There's the unforgiving rock undertone, but it gives way to a sound that sets the scenes for a Western show down. "Last on Land" only dazzles even more in context, and a string of other songs voices the dusty, worn hearts of an open road.



Anyone who has seen Joe's concerts will recognize some of his trademark humor throughout, and there are a few choice gags involving walks across the desert plain and lots and lots of blood.

Overall, it's a fun evening with a lot of unexpected twists. Believe the Bloodsong.

One of us cheated... and it wasn't you

Michael R. Jackson has made an appearance on this blog before singing "One of Us" with Joe Iconis, but he also has an amazing collection of his own songs, many of which he performed at the Bare Bones concert recently with Joe Iconis. And while I've only heard a couple of his songs before, I think that Joe's blurb in the SPF newsletter is a really great endorsement for his music:

"One of my absolute favorite new writers out there is the spectacularly-named Michael R. Jackson, aka Michael Living-Jackson. He was a classmate of mine at the Tisch Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and I've loved his stuff for as long as I've known him.

The thing that makes him so special is his ability to transform situations that might seem outlandish or horrific into experiences that are shockingly moving and weirdly relatable. I feel like there's so much 'new musical theater' that's about being young and dating in New York- lots of songs about white people who go on picnics and have dreams and learn things and feel things. I've certainly written my fair share of those types of songs. But here is someone who is writing something completely different- a truly unique and electrifying voice.

Anyone reading this needs to stop what they are doing and watch a recording of Michael's song 'Jethro.' If you can watch that and not realize that you are experiencing the work of a true artist, you need to hang on to your Ferngully: The Musical! ticket stub and promise to never go to the theater ever, ever again."

The song Joe mentions is this one, which was performed by Jason "Sweet Tooth" Williams at the Bare Bones concert:



And to call it a rather shocking piece would be a bit of an understatement. There's something startling about the frankness of the portrait Jackson paints in his music. It's strikingly honest -- at times brutal, and suprisingly gentle when need be. Here are a couple other highlights from Bare Bones...

Molly Hager singing "Verse Chorus Song":



And "Blood and Lather" sung by Joe Iconis:

A Very Iconis Update

So I know I mentioned Joe Iconis' upcoming show Bloodsong of Love, which is soon to premiere at Ars Nova in just over a month's time. Though tickets are not available to the general public yet, if you sign up to be a Super Nova (it's free) at the Ars Nova website, you will not only get a free drink at each Ars Nova performance you attend, but you will also have access to buying tickets to Bloodsong right now. Ars Nova has a lot of great programs and shows (by the way, try to see the Alter, Greenberg, Allen, and Allen concert of Band Geeks! on Monday, March 1st as they prepare for their production at Goodspeed -- I assure you it's going to be a solid night of some really wonderful songs), but throw in some free drinks and exclusive offers like this presale and I say why not.

And, just to give you more of an idea of the kinds of talent you will be treated to at Bloodsong, here are a couple of videos from Iconis' recent Bare Bones concert at Joe's Pub with Michael R. Jackson.

There's the always fantastic Jason Sweet Tooth Williams singing new Iconis' tune "The Protector":


And just because I can't believe they played this song that has been a strange motif in our office for the past month or so, here's Iconis and Jackson singing "One of Us":

Joe Iconis and Rated RSO marathon

Not going to lie... I'm kind of in a state of euphoria right now after a night of back-to-back (ok, I totally indulged in some Shake Shack in between) concerts courtesy of Joe Iconis and Ryan Scott Oliver. Too much of a good thing? Never! Though I have to admit I think concentrating so much in a relatively short period of time is pushing things a bit.

Both shows though were awe-inspiring, some of the best performances I have seen of either composer yet. For a free event, Joe put on a wonderful, fully-realized set with a diverse sampling of his musical abilities. A combination of tunes from The Black Suits, Bloodsong of Love, The Plant that Ate Dirty Socks, and many stand alone songs from Things to Ruin and Rock 'n Roll jamboree, I was thrilled to witness an audience, many who seemed new to Joe's songs, get to experience a thorough sampling of his work. With Krysta Rodriguez, Lance Rubin, Jason "Sweet Tooth" Williams, and Katrina Rose Dideriksen rocking the mics, there was little need (not that I don't miss the rest of the band) for more than the piano and the powerful voices to fill that auditorium and perhaps spill into the rest of the library.

Something I remembered through this performance is how amazingly Joe is able to capture youth in his songs, from the most angsty moments to the most sincere, from the silliest to the most heartbreaking. All of them are underscored, though, by a simple truth, the validity of a specific perspective that almost always puts the driver right in the passenger seat alongside the performer. They are in on all the jokes, and they feel the weight of all the confusion. There isn't a moment when a song isn't trying to express something, to show a psychology or process behind someone's actions. The characters are often flawed and hardly ever are those flaws without consequence or introspection, and regardless of the fact that Joe didn't provide much context for these songs in the interview portions, the way they took shape for themselves only served as a testament to his craft. Watching host John Znidarsic's face throughout the performances was really gratifying; he gladly went along for the ride and commented himself about how impressed he was with the journey he ended up taking.

Rated RSO was a bit more of a whirlwind, but it was one of the most beautiful storms I could have possibly weathered. It was every kind of artform combined into one: the images from the 35 MM project, the acting skills of the likes of Lindsay Mendez and Alex Brightman, the full-bodied music provided by an amazing band, the pure voices of talents like Natalie Weiss and Eric Michael Krop, and finally the sheer artistry of Ryan's lyrics made this show a feast for the senses. The songs were varied in style and context, but each of them had a confidence and twistedness that was perfectly in the RSO style. Every one of the songs created a little world within themselves, daring the audience to come in and even making them fear the thought of leaving those worlds behind.

I think what shows like tonight's remind me of is the beauty of musical theatre, not only in the art of writing music and lyrics but in the beauty of it in performance. The temporary nature of it makes the experience unique and special, while also reminding us of the importance of enjoying simple pleasures while they last. This medium combines so many elements that express the incommunicable. I feel lucky to have gotten a chance to see what I did tonight, and I only wish that everyone can find opportunities to find experiences like this for themselves.

I don't really have any links or videos for this entry, though as soon as concert footage finds its way to interwebs, I'll be sure to link to it. In the meantime, I thank you for letting me rant, and look forward to getting to blab on about even more new talents in the near future.

We Vow to Just Allow the Here and Now, 'Cause It Makes Sense

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that my absolute affinity for Joe Iconis and his work is no secret. I have dragged countless non-theatre friends to his concerts and have probably spent more money on his shows over the past year than I have on toiletries. There's something about his songs that is so infectious, addictive, universal, effortless, hilarious, and brutally honest that it's hard for me to really sum up why his work speaks to me the way it does.

In fact, the only ways I can really capture the essence of his songbook is through experience. The first time I went to a Rock 'N Roll Jamboree was two summers ago, and Joe opened his set with "Son of a Gun," which is still probably my favorite song of his to this day. Played by Joe himself, I instantly recognized the song as being excerpted in SPF's The Black Suits. And I remember sitting at the Laurie Beechman completely enthralled, moved by the poignancy and bitter realism of a song whose lyrics were all too familiar. Every one of Joe's songs tend to have a wicked sense of humor and sarcasm beneath the surface, but even in the kitschiest, most gimmicky of conceits, there's at least some kind of morsel of truth, something that transcends a simple song in a way that's not heavy-handed or self-serving.

So, rather than blathering on about the conceptual aspects of Joe's work, I figure I would do as many people are doing with the new year on the horizon and compile a list of my top 10 favorite Joe performances of 2009, to let you see what I love about Joe's music for yourself:

#10. "Everybody's at the Bar Without Me"



This is a fantastic song in its own right, but there were some politics concerning this being on the list. A primary factor is simply Katrina Rose Dideriksen. While Joe writes fantastic songs for girls, a lot of the songs in this list are male-heavy, so I thought I wanted to include a song where she really goes to town and show her stuff. In Things to Ruin, this song is also performed by Badia Farha, who adds her own sexy, humorous turn. So really, a song performed by two sexy ladies definitely deserves a spot on the countdown.


#9 "Son of a Gun"



If I were to make this list in the coming years, so long as Joe keeps performing this song, I will always include this song somewhere on there. The very raw, precise lyrics. The progression of an intimate metaphor. The way it inspires honest performance. Nothing will top the sensation of hearing this song for the first time, performed by Joe himself. But Jason "Sweet Tooth" Williams always brings it in performance. And Eric William Morris' performance in Things to Ruin has become a staple of the evening.



#8 "Guide to Success"



First of all, I love when Joe performs his own work (as I think I've mentioned a billion times before this). He surrounds himself with incredible talent who all perform his songs with commitment and heart. But when Joe sings his own stuff, you can hear the vulnerability in his craft. It's truly an incredible experience, and this song in particular, a tirade on the tyranny of industry, creates a moment of earnestness that is rarely observed.



#7 "Born This Morning (The Cicada Song)"



Things to Ruin in one of my favorite nights of Iconis tunes, and it's even survived the closing of The Zipper Factory. "Born This Morning" is an incredible opener, chock full of energy, catchiness, and swagger. Plus, it features the whole ensemble, and when you get all of those guys wailing their hearts out, nothing but genius can result.



#6 "Anymore"



Krysta Rodriguez is awesome. Joe Iconis is awesome. But it's when they come together in a musical dialog about lost connection that things get pretty fucking incredible. The lyrics aren't terribly sophisticated, but it's the clumsy but intimate words that get me every time.



#5 "Lisa"



Let me make one thing clear: Katrina has and will always sing the shit out of this song. She makes it sexy, passionate, and wonderfully courageous. But the first time I heard this song was in context in The Black Suits, sang by Jason Tam as the woefully conflicted John. There's something about the lack of confidence and sheer angst that he characterized in the song that really adds a story.



#4 "Rosalie"



It's about time that Ian Kagey stepped out from the Iconis band and had a song to rock out on. Not only do I love the funkiness of the music, but Ian's delivery is surprisingly soulful.



#3 "Girl, Your Days Are Numbered"



Incredible. On the aesthetic side, Jason in a Charlie Brown shirt and Katrina in a Max costume—what can be better? But add to that erratic and melodic music, along with the powerful voices of Sweet Tooth and Katrina, and this song becomes a rousing ballad of sorts.



#2 "Last on Land"



When I first heard this song, I enjoyed it but felt like it was a bit out of place with the rest of the music that evening. Also, with the samples of music I've been hearing of Blood Song of Love, I have a hard time grasping what exactly this show is going to be about/like. But when the haunting harmonies were still in my head weeks later, I knew that this highly evocative song is an example of Joe's capabilities in his future works.



#1 "It's All Good"



The first time I heard this song, one of the last numbers of The Black Suits, I distinctly remember how I felt in that moment. I was elated and also a little sad. This song seemed to sum up the entire show, the love of music and art, and I was upset because I knew that eventually the song would have to be over. It's hard not to feel a connection with the characters in this show and this song (whose cast is represented here, with the exception of Nick Blaemire who is substituted with Joe), and I was happy to see some kind of revival in this small space. It's an easy, unpretentious declaration of love for craft, a perfect description of how I feel about the genre, especially Joe's work.